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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · fan · swing · calf · snap · spell · degree · stick

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — temperature
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. snap — to click
  13. spell — letters
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — magic
  17. band — a music group
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — to play on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com